Petrichor
Petrichor is JDusk17's entry for the 2017 Spring Writing Contest. Petrichor also serves as the first story in his Stormverse storyline. Story: If there was one thing Jahoan disliked, it was storms. They were simply too loud and chaotic. To a Toa of Sonics, it was a waking nightmare, every drop of water pinging of off the stone of his hut, and that of every other structure in the village. Thunder was even worse, shattering what peace could be found with the roar of a charging Kikanalo. Assuming a meditative position, the Toa exercised a portion of his elemental power, negating all sound within his dwelling. Nothing would disturb him for the rest of the night. As dawn broke, the last of the storm faded into blue skies. With the rising sun Jahoan stood, stretching his muscles and easing the aches that had formed from spending the entire night sitting upright. He made sure his silver-gray Hau was properly secured, and retrieved his Tuning Fork Stave from its stand before stepping out. The first thing he noticed was the scent of the soil, emanating an earthy smell that appeased the traces of the element within him. The next thing he noticed was the lack of sound, despite the Matoran milling about. It took him a second to remember that all his neighbours were either De-Matoran, or otherwise possess sensitive hearing. Quietly making his way out of the area of the village colloquially known as the “Shelek District”, he stepped into the village center of Furnolt, where Turaga Varian was holding council with her aides. “The guards report a greater number of Rahi lurking in the forest, and there are rumors of Minosk scouts being sighted near the eastern walls.” A militant-looking Ta-Matoran reported, the faintest hint of concern on his Kanohi Ruru. “The shipment of supplies from Metru Nui arrived last night, and my men are bringing them up to the village as we speak.” A Ga-Matoran, Hebar if he remembered correctly, spoke. “We have about five dozen Kanohi, most are powerless but at least a dozen are Great. We also have a gross of Kanoka Disks, all power levels and types.” “Good.” The Turaga of Psionics responded. “Send the disks to the Mask-Makers, see what they can do with them.” She turned to the Ta-Matoran, who Jahoan remembered being named Carlote. “Double the guards on the east, preferably Onu-Matoran or those with scopes on their masks.” “Will do.” Both Matoran bowed before leaving to fulfill their duties. “Ah, Toa Jahoan.” The village elder noted the presence of one of the village’s protectors. “Busy morning?” The Toa of Sonics questioned. “Those were just the last two I had to deal with.” Turaga Varian sighed. “That storm last night may have given us some much-needed rainfall, but with Rahi activity up and reports of those creatures being sighted, the Guard is being stretched to its limit. And then there’s the case of your missing brothers and sister.” A look of discontent crossed Jahoan’s face. Toa don’t usually disappear, especially when those Toa are Garan, Piruk, and Dalu. As Matoran, they had been part of the Voya Nui Resistance during the Great Makuta War, and were instrumental in repelling the Brotherhood from the Southern Continent. Garan’s tactics had led to the destruction of Makuta Mutran’s stronghold. Piruk was the greatest spy in the Resistance, able to evade even an Energy Hound. Dalu was transformed into a Toa by Helryx herself after she single-handedly destroyed a platoon of Visorak with nothing but her Twin Chargers and a well-placed boulder. If anyone could hold their own, it was those three. Jahoan’s train of thought was derailed as his enhanced hearing picked up the frantic footfalls and labored breathing of a Matoran in a grave hurry. He turned to witness a Fa-Matoran, clad in black, gunmetal, and blue with a sapphire Mask of Healing stricken with panic and dread, barrel into the village center, looking like Karzahni himself was chasing her. It was then that Jahoan noticed the forest green Mahiki clutched in her hands like a lifeline. A sense of sense of dread began to build in his own throat. Turaga Varian was less phased, or at least didn’t show it, as she immediately launched into questioning. “Chronicler, you’ve returned. What word have you on the Toa?” A blue and gold clad hand settled on the Matoran’s shoulder. One fearful word left her lips, and the Toa’s dread became palpable. “Rahkshi”''' ' “We were patrolling the northern forest when Dalu heard a hissing sound. Everyone drew their weapons and told me to stay behind them. Then they jumped out. They were bigger than the ones that we all fought in the war. They towered over even the Toa.” The Matoran of Magnetism told, pausing with a gulp. “It’s okay Pola, they can’t hurt you here.” Jahoan comforted her, simultaneously urging her to continue her tale. “They tore through the trees and one of them, wearing purple armor, let out a terrible shriek. I couldn’t stand up, and the next thing I know, it’s knocked Piruk’s mask off. I grabbed it and Piruk told me to run, so I got back here as quick as I could while I did everything I could to keep them from following. I’m sorry I couldn’t help them, Jahoan.” Pola finished her story, and Jahoan wrapped his arms around her, a symbol of safety. “It’s okay, Pola. We will find our missing teammates, and those Rahkshi will pay for messing with the Toa Corsact.” Jahoan stated, his eyes gleaming with conviction. The Toa of Sonics turned to Turaga Varian. “Any word on when Avamera will be back?” “She is meeting the Council of Light about our situation, and shouldn’t be back for another day.” The Turaga informed him. “We can’t afford to wait. We either now, or never.” A new voice entered the conversation. Jahoan turned to see the resident Toa of Psionics, Cerise, standing with Sulah, Toa of Plasma. “In that case, ready your Kakamas, because speed is of the essence.” Jahoan’s Hau changed to the Great Mask of Speed, accessed from his suva. Cerise and Sulah did the same, and the three Toa raced out of the village in a blur of color, leaving a dust cloud to settle around the Turaga and Matoran. “I hate it when they do that.” Turaga Vartian complained. The current generation of Toa had so little patience and even less awareness of those around them. ' Within minutes of running, the three remaining members of the Toa Corsact found themselves at the clearing where their teammates were ambushed. Cerise and Jahoan both sent out sonar pulses, getting a map of the area while keeping an eye out for anything that wasn’t shaped like a tree or a rock. Toa Sulah surveyed the environment, the scopes on her mask whirring as her Kanohi Liaison picked up on every subtle detail and fed her the relevant information. Despite their analysis, the Rahkshi took them completely by surprise. The Toa quickly took note of their opposition. A violet-clad Rahkshi of Power Scream; a yellow and green Rahkshi of Sonics; and a gray and black Rahkshi of Silence. Accompanying the sons of Makuta were their teammates, all sporting Infected Kanohi. “Six on three, those odds don’t look too good.” Sulah stated. “Yeah, for them.” Cerise quipped, before unleashing a telekinetic strike that disarmed the violet-armored Rahkshi, depriving it of its power. The battle began. Sulah blasted the Rahkshi of Silence into the underbrush before crossing blades with Dalu, while Jahoan charged at the Rahkshi of Sonics. The Kraata-possessed suit blocked the Toa’s overhead strike, but was too slow to block the follow up. During the Great Makuta War, Jahoan was sent on a mission to destroy a Brotherhood outpost. What no one had told him was that the base had been a Rahkshi production facility, and as such was built over a pool of Energized Protodermis. When Jahoan destroyed the base’s foundation, the building fell into the pool, and brought the surrounding ground with it. Jahoan had been plunged into the silvery substance, and came out changed. His senses had been enhanced, he was slightly larger and stronger than the average Toa, and he gained a reptilian tail, with a bladed structure like a tuning fork on the end. As the Toa of Sonics soon discovered, this was no mere set of blades. As the Rahkshi of Sonics reeled from Jahoan’s tail striking it in the chest, a high-pitched whine filled the air, and the Rahkshi became to shake uncontrollably. The monster looked down, and then back up at Jahoan, the closest thing to terror a Rahkshi could express painted across its face. The Rahkshi’s armor exploded with enough force to clear the vegetation around its feet. The black and yellow Kraata fell to the ground, wriggled once, and gave out, its internal organs reduced to jelly by the shockwave. A small sprinkling of fragments and powdered metal settled into the mud. A hiss rang out behind him, and the Toa of Sonics turned to see the Rahkshi of Silence about to strike him down. A spike of earth shot up, pulling the Rahkshi off the ground as it was impaled. The Kraata dropped out of the armor’s head, but a bolt of telekinetic energy ripped it in half before it could even touch the ground. Jahoan turned to see Cerise standing with a de-masked Garan and Piruk. The former looked like he was about to fall over, while the latter was already sitting. Behind them, the Rahkshi of Power Scream lay still, a dozen punctures visible in its armor. “Thank you, brother and sister.” Jahoan smiled. “Shouldn’t we help Sulah?” He asked. “I think she has it covered.” Cerise smirked. Meanwhile, Sulah fought with only one thing in mind. ‘Destroy that Mask’. Sulah always believed that the mask a Matoran or Toa wears should reflect the wearer’s personality. It irritated her to no end that Dalu, a fighter through and through, wore a Kanohi Rau. The Mask of Translation was a mask suited for scholars, teachers, and diplomats. It did not belong on a being whose life was dedicated to combat. Ordinarily, Sulah would have been easily outmatched by Dalu, but Infected Kanohi suppress the spirit, preventing the Toa of Water from fighting as she normally would. Her movements were stilted, robotic, and sloppy. Sulah sidestepped a wild swing, and used the resultant opening to strike. The blades of her Plasma Stave slipped between her mask and face, breaking the magnetic seal and forcing the Infected Rau into the air, where a burst of plasma reduced the mask to molten slag. Dalu fell to her knees, only for the Toa of Plasma to catch her. “Easy there sister.” She said. “You’re free.” She looked at the cooling puddle of Protodermis, and whispered to herself. “That mask never fit you anyway.” When the Toa returned, the village breathed a collective sigh of relief. Garan and Piruk donned the same Kanohi they had previously worn, while Sulah located a Kanohi Pakari among the shipment of masks from Metru Nui for Dalu. According to Sulah, the Mask of Strength was a much better fit for the Toa of Water's fighting style. As the village celebrated the return of their heroes, Jahoan stood outside the gates. Tuning out the sounds of frivolity, he turned his attention to his other senses. One scent stood out above the rest, and he remembered the word that described it. Petrichor, the smell of dust after rain. Characters: * Toa Jahoan * Toa Cerise * Toa Sulah * Toa Dalu * Toa Garan * Toa Piruk * Turaga Varian * Pola * Carlote * Hebar * Rahkshi of Sonics, Silence, and Power Scream